Jeffrey B. Moffat of Jackson, who has portrayed Santa Claus for the Iron Mountain Railway in Jackson, is charged with statutory rape and sodomy against a child. Railroad president Cheryl Huffman could be prodding anyone who might help resolve these accusations to step forward. Instead, in an act of stunning callousness, she’s declaring Moffat innocent.

That’s incredibly hurtful. That makes it even less likely that boys and girls who, right now, are being sexually assaulted will break their silence, get some help, and expose dangerous predators.

So the bottom line is this: The railroad MIGHT have, inadvertently, helped a child predator gain access to kids.

But the railroad’s head is, intentionally, making it harder on child sex abuse victims, discouraging and deterring them from speaking up, getting help, exposing molesters, prosecuting wrongdoers and preventing cover ups and crimes.

The way to get Huffman -- and other officials and employers in other businesses and institutions -- to act more responsibly is simple: stop giving her money and tell her why.

It’s good when child molesters experience consequences for their hurtful actions. It’s also good when those who help child molesters experience consequences for their hurtful actions too. Ignoring wrongdoing encourages wrongdoing.

Finally, we will do what Huffman should be doing: We encourage anyone who saw, suspected or suffered crimes by Moffat to call police. Anyone with any information or suspicions that might help prove or disprove these troubling allegations should step forward now.

(SNAP, the Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, is the world’s oldest and largest support group for clergy abuse victims. SNAP was founded in 1988 and has more than 20,000 members. Despite the word “priest” in our title, we have members who were molested by religious figures of all denominations, including nuns, rabbis, bishops, and Protestant ministers. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. • A southeast Missouri man who has portrayed Santa Claus at events has been accused of sexually abusing a child.

Online court records show 55-year-old Jeffrey B. Moffat, of Jackson, was charged with one count of statutory rape with a person under the age of 14 and one count of statutory sodomy involving a person under the age of 14.